93-year-old Tarlac man succumbs to coronavirus disease

PAMPANGA, Philippines (2nd UPDATE) – A 93-year-old man from Tarlac City died on Sunday, March 29 before the result of his coronavirus test was released. The next day, provincial officials received word from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) that he was COVID-19 positive.

The patient, a resident of Barangay San Nicolas, Bamban, Tarlac, was confined at the St. Raphael Foundation and Medical Center in Mabalacat City where he passed away.

He was still classified as a patient under investigation (PUI) at the time of his death. He was suffering from emphysema and heart disorder.

Tarlac Governor Susan Yap said that they received the test results from RITM on Monday, March 30, confirming that the patient was positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

The Mabalacat City government said through its Faceboook page that the St. Raphael Foundation and Medical Center has not issued any statement about the death of the COVID-19 patient inside their facility.

An Inquirer.net article described the patient as the last World War II survivor in Tarlac. 

Residents of Barangays Dau and Camatchilles have aired their  apprehension about the hospital’s silence on how it handled the admission and treatment of the elderly patient, how many of its medical personnel had close contact with the deceased, and if they went into strict self-quarantine.

Mabalacat Mayor Crisistomo Garbo has not issued any statement, as well, to address his constituents fear as of press time.

Hospital advisory

On Tuesday, March 31, the St. Raphael Foundation and Medical Center, Inc. said that its 93-year-old patient was admitted to the hospital on March 19 as a PUI due to moderate lower respiratory symptoms and was tested by the staff of Dept. of Health-Regional Epidemiology Surveillance Unit.

The hospital received the test result confirming that the patient was positive for COVID-19 on March 28, a day before he expired on March 29.

The Tarlac provincial government received the deceased’s test result only on March 30. As of March 29, he was listed in the province’s COVID-19 records as a PUI.

Despite the patient’s 11-day stay in the hospital that resulted to close encounters with several hospital medical and support staff on day and night duties, the management decided to advise its employees to go home and quarantine themselves.

“The patients’ relatives, attending medical, nursing and other ancillary staff who were possibly exposed have been notified and requested to undergo the necessary self-quarantine,” the hospital’s advisory stated.

The hospital said that it has been following DOH guidelines on prevention of COVID-19’s transmission and that “throughout the management of the patient, the managing staff were strictly using their appropriate PPEs.”

Netizens have criticized the hospital for its “late” advisory. While other government and private hospitals in Pampanga and Angeles City like the Jose B Lingad Memorial Regional Hospital, the Angeles University Foundation Medical Center, and The Medical City Clark were prompt in announcing the COVID-19 positive patients in their facilities, it took St. Raphael 3 days before doing so.

Since March 29, netizens in Mabalacat City have been flooding social media with calls for the hospital’s issuance of statement on the COVID-19 case in its facility.

They were also asking for the city government’s intervention, as fears have gripped some residents living near the hospital.

Replying to comments from Facebook users, the St. Raphael Foundation and Medical Center said that it was following the DOH protocols under the agency’s Department Memorandum No. 2020-0110 that prohibit public and private hospitals from releasing information on suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths before the DOH and the local government unit made reports on the information.

Patients recover

Gov. Susan Yap said that a 76-year-old woman from Barangay Poblacion A, Camiling town was also confirmed to have COVID-19 in the latest test results from RITM. The woman had a travel history abroad.

She has, however, recovered and was discharged from the hospital on Friday, March 27.

The latest confirmations brought to 9 the total number of COVID-19 cases in Tarlac province as of Monday, March 30. (READ: PH coronavirus cases up by 128; total now 1,546)

Aside from the 93-year-old, a 64-year-old man from Barangay San Miguel, Tarlac City, who was confirmed to have the coronavirus had also died. He had close contact with a person from Italy.

Two others have also recovered: a 39-year-old man from Barangay Pinasling, Gerona town, who travelled to Metro Manila; and a 78-year-old man from Barangay Poblacion A Camiling town who had travel history to Italy.

Yap said that while they have been discharged from the hospitals, they are still under strict monitoring by their respective barangay officials.

The 4 other COVID-19 patients are still confined in different hospitals in Tarlac City.

They are:

• a 75-year-old woman from Barangay Patalan, Paniqui town, who travelled to Italy
• a 28-year-old man from Barangay Sto. Rosario, Capas town who had a travel history to Indonesia and Metro Manila
• a 59-year-old man from Malolos, Bulacan
• a 41-year-old man from San Rafael, Tarlac City, who travelled to Quezon City

The number of PUIs in Tarlac with severe symptoms rose to 84, there are 266 mild PUIs, and the number of persons under monitoring (PUMs) reached 17,188 in the latest provincial government update. 

Tarlac provinced was placed under Extreme Enhanced Community Quarantine at 12:01 am on March 29.

Yap had said that out of the some 1.4 million residents of Tarlac, there are only a few health workers who could attend to their medical needs.

It was in Tarlac where Filipino reptriates from the Diamond Princess cruise ship were quarantined in February. – Rappler.com